Sadegh Jabari, the director general of the family and marriage department of the representative office of the Supreme Leader in universities, referred to the demographic challenges of the country at a press conference for the 29th round of student marriage and said: "Today, we are facing challenges in the area of marriage and childbearing in the demographic field."
Increase in the age of marriage in Tehran
Jabari stated that the average age of marriage in a metropolis like Tehran is 30.7 years for men and 27 years for women, adding: "One of our main missions in the university environment, especially among students, is to reduce the age of marriage and increase the frequency of marriage."
He also referred to the issue of childbearing among the academic and elite classes and considered it one of the priorities of the programs of the representative office of the Supreme Leader in universities. Jabari continued: "One of this year's programs is to activate the provincial committees for the marriage of university students. The heads of the representative office of the Supreme Leader in universities have been tasked with activating these committees in collaboration with the governors and representatives of relevant agencies in the provinces."
Facilitating marriage for university youth
The director general of the family and marriage department of the representative office of the Supreme Leader in universities emphasized the necessity of creating coordination among various agencies and said: "The goal of this action is to utilize existing capacities to facilitate marriage for university youth."
Jabari further addressed the importance of modeling in the field of marriage and said: "One of our programs is to develop and strengthen marriage mediation." He pointed out that research conducted shows that "about 30 to 50 percent of young people are ready for marriage despite the existing economic, social, and cultural conditions."
Jabari emphasized that special programs have been put in place to strengthen marriage mediation to assist young people in choosing a suitable spouse. He also referred to the issue of easy marriage and placed it on the agenda, considering student marriages as an example of this model.
Development of easy marriage centers
The director general of the family and marriage department of the representative office of the Supreme Leader in universities announced plans to establish and strengthen a charity organization for student marriage and said: "The goal is to bring the capacity of benefactors into the field to support the marriage of young people and university elites."
Jabari also announced the holding of student marriage celebrations on a larger scale and added: "In addition to university and provincial programs, a national program will be held with the presence of a group of student couples."
He concluded by mentioning that the establishment of marriage and family centers in universities is underway with the aim of providing cohesive services in the field of easy marriage, and various skill training is also included in the agenda of these centers. Jabari pointed out the obstacles to marriage in the university environment and called for active participation from families in this regard.
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